


Don't worry, I'll protect you.

by Shinecune101



Category: Free!
Genre: 12-year-olds are adorable, Absolutely trash I'm sorry, Fluff, Haru is so concerned, I have no idea what I'm doing, I should probably stop tagging before I hurt someone, M/M, MakoHaru is the best thing ever, Makoto is a scared lil' kid, Short One Shot, The ocean is a vast area of spooky, They're just so cute together I can't
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 01:07:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4899652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinecune101/pseuds/Shinecune101
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haru knew Makoto was scared, but of <em>what</em>?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't worry, I'll protect you.

**Author's Note:**

> [TUMBLR VERSION](http://shinecune101.tumblr.com/post/131847121241/dont-worry-ill-protect-you)
> 
> Hey, this is my first fanfiction that I've actually finished and posted, so I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> This is actually (involuntarily) more platonic than romantic, hence why I used both the friendship tag and the shipping tag. 
> 
> I tried to base this on the canon as much as possible, but of course, some things from High Speed! changed up a bit. I also repeated some stuff from the novel, but in a different way. Plus I'm too lazy to read that again. :P
> 
> 12-year-olds are adorable.

Nanase Haruka knew Tachibana Makoto like the back of his own hand. After all, they were best friends.

Haru knew it was the same with Makoto; he also knew Haru left and right, maybe he knew more about Haru than himself. In fact, the two friends knew each other so well that they basically could read each others’ minds. Just by looking at each other, the two boys could tell what the other was thinking.

It was quite an impressive feat, considering how Haru wore the same stoic expression all the time. Makoto as well always had the same sweet look on his face with that smile that always made Haru, and everyone else, feel reassured, even when Makoto himself didn't exactly feel as his expression showed. Much like Haru himself, Makoto had many other feelings beneath concealed by his expression.

It was probably how Haru knew all the layers of Makoto's personality that he was able to accomplish that.

Normally, if one was to look at Makoto from below the face, the person had every right to be somewhat intimidated. Makoto was rather tall, and even from a young age possessed a sturdy frame with broad shoulders, sturdy enough to pull Haru out of the water after a good swim, yet gentle enough to not harm him. He also was equipped with well-built muscles, acquired from years of strenuous physical labor and swimming, which could make any professional athlete envious. He really was into games and got a little competitive when it came to them. Haru could barely recognize Makoto and his new audacious manner of attempting to claim victory. It kind of scary actually, like how he had behaved during that water gun fight the Iwatobi people had against Samezuka. But he always calmed down afterward.

The way he swam and used his body was also a bit frightening. When Makoto swam, he swam as if his life depended on it. His swimming style comprised of powerful arm movement with all of his strength channelled into his strokes, the swimmer forcefully pounding through the water. If one were to spectate Makoto at a swim meet, he could immediately be identified as the swimmer with the waves chopping and flailing around him, as if they were trying to repel themselves from his body.

Haru always thought Makoto's swimming style didn't make any sense; why would someone put so much force into a single stroke? Haru always became one with the water when he swam, the water moving him along swiftly and gracefully. Maybe it was because the water simply didn't like Makoto. Whenever he went into the water, Haru noticed how he came in like an elephant with the water splashing everywhere, trying desperately to get away.

Even their friend Matsuoka Rin berated Makoto for swimming so recklessly. Much like Haru, Rin thought using all his power was useless. Even when out of the water, Makoto also was quite forceful in other recreational sports, such as running and basketball. He would power sprint through the track, and he was aggressive in basketball, playing like a pro. As such, if it weren’t for his friendly smile and caring disposition, people would have probably kept their distance.

However, if one was to talk to and get to know Makoto, he or she would receive a face full of the soft, sweet, kind, caring, sensible, and affable guy Makoto really was. His face said it all as well. Haru believed that face didn't belong on his body. Makoto had an attractive face with a gentle smile and kind, green eyes. Even with his rough actions during swimming, Makoto was more gentle than tough, handling cats and friends with delicate movements. He was patient with his younger siblings, Ran and Ren; normally it was them who were rough with him. It was surprising how he seldom got mad.

Makoto also tended to consider and worry about others, especially about Haru. It annoyed Haru how Makoto would constantly lecture him about going swimming when the water was too cold and how he shouldn't jump into random bodies of water and how he should figure out what he wanted to be in the future and a lot of other nonsense.

Though it didn't really look like it, Makoto hid a lot of secrets that he normally didn't want people to know behind his gentle face. One thing was how Makoto was actually quite weak-hearted, so he would always get scared by the most stupid things. Haru practically had to cradle Makoto after watching any sort of scary movie. When they watched a horror movie re-run special, Haru had to reassure him that no, there were no monsters waiting to grab him under the bed. Heck, he never really understood why the guy even _wanted_ to watch horror films if he was just going to hide his whimpering face behind his big hands of his all the time. He always invited Haru over at least once every other week so they could view some kind of obscure scary show that no one would ever watch. He always came anyway, bearing with how Makoto buried his face in Haru's pajamas. His reactions were frankly rather amusing, and he also enjoyed spending time with Makoto like this.

He remembered one time how the two were in Makoto's room during this "suspenseful" moment, and Makoto was shrinking into the covers, shielding his eyes. Suddenly, without warning, his little twin siblings, Ran and Ren, just burst into the room growling like mad dogs and making angry faces, and Makoto _screamed bloody murder_. Haru, being right next to him, was amazing his ears didn't get blown off of his head, but then noticed a wet area in Makoto's pants. It took him a moment to realize what had happened, and it was extremely difficult to hold in his laughter and take Makoto seriously after that. He must've had a smug expression for the rest of the night, because the bigger man thought Haru himself had ordered the twins to do that. They both knew Haru had nothing to do with it.

Because of this, Haru once thought to himself how it was like Makoto’s personality was placed in the wrong body. Even though he may be a bit bothersome and frankly rather annoying, Haru nonetheless still liked Makoto a lot, a lot more than he could understand, but he never liked to display these feelings in public. They were so well hidden that even Makoto probably didn’t know about them.

Maybe those feelings and Haru's friendship with Makoto that led Haru to find out something astonishing about his friend. 

There was a time when Haru and Makoto were still in sixth grade with their friends Hazuki Nagisa, the overly joyous and naive kid, and Rin, the boy who wanted nothing but for Makoto and Haru to swim in the medley relay, that something about Makoto was bothering Haru, and it somewhat worried him.

Whenever they were at the Iwatobi Swimming Club for swim practice, Haru noticed how Makoto was acting a bit off. By off, Haru didn't really know. He was just acting _different_ , and Haru really had to observe to notice the difference. It was almost as if he was afraid. Well, to be fair, knowing Makoto, he probably _was_ afraid. But of what? That was what was bothering Haru.

Whenever they rode their bikes to school or to the swimming club, Makoto would always glance out at the sea with unnerving apprehension, but would quickly look away afterward. He didn't act strangely whenever they were in their homes, which led Haru to be a bit suspicious. Why did he gaze at the water like that? How could such a majestic and pristine part of nature make anyone uneasy, especially a _swimmer_?

Those questions were almost immediately answered after a rather embarrassing event.

Long story short, Haru had fallen into the river after he momentarily fainted from the flu (despite Makoto’s protests, he felt completely fine prior to the incident), and he was hospitalized. He couldn’t remember anything happening prior to that, but he could remember how he was getting someone’s scarf, and the sound of Makoto’s concerned voice and ambulances screaming in the distance.

Haru was informed by Rin by how _afraid_ Makoto looked at the scene. He didn't know why Rin confided with him, but he could tell Rin was worried about Makoto as well. He said how he saw him hovered over Haru, shaking violently, tremors rocking through his body. Rin said how Makoto wouldn't stop the shivering, and how he kept on staring at and clinging onto Haru for the entirety of the ride to the hospital. His face was apparently twisted with absolute worry. Rin was more scared for Makoto than for Haru. The way the redhead described how his friend was acting made Haru kind of glad that he wasn't able to see Makoto's face. The strange thing was, though Makoto was constantly, and frankly irritatingly, concerned about his friend's well-being, Haru didn't believe he was worried about him. He seemed as if he was scared of something _else_. That something was probably what was cause Makoto to act differently during swim practices.

Haru didn't like how Makoto had this fear he never told anyone, even him. He didn't like how Makoto looked like he was suffering on the inside, and how he couldn't do anything about it. Makoto had always helped Haru, and Haru never really gave back. The more he thought about it, the more guilty he felt. He really took his friend's help for granted, as he was naturally helpful in nature. The boy wanted to do _something_ , even if it was simply confronting Makoto about his fear.

That's it, _confronting_ him.

Haru figured that having Makoto admit and confirm the fear would be the best course of action. From then, he would figure out how to comfort him.

They met on the steps to the shrine by their homes. It was evening, and the sky was pink and the air was cool. Haru was on top of the stairs, secretly waiting for Makoto while watching the beautiful sunset slink away into the glowing horizon. Makoto suddenly ran out of his home, and the jarring movement startled Haru. He had that rather uneasy expression on his face, and Haru was not pleased. Haru called out to him, as he seemed to be unaware of his presence. When Makoto looked up, his expression quickly changed to joy, and he went closer, and closer, and closer, until he could touch Haru's face. Makoto was wondering why he was there, and Haru answered as meticulously as possible, careful to not reveal that his main intention was to wait for Makoto. It was then that Haru took care of what he came for. He spoke suddenly without preamble.

"Makoto."

"What?"

"Are you afraid of the water?"

The effect was immediate. Makoto's usual look of content faded instantaneously and was slowly twisted and replaced by an expression of shame and fear. Beads of sweat glistened on his skin, clearly nervous and terrified. He looked at Haru directly in the eye and swallowed. It amazing him how _hollow_ and _vulnerable_ he was at that moment, how easily he could see into his thoughts. Haru immediately knew that his assumptions were true.

Makoto opened himself up to him, and Haru knew that was his way of admitting it.

Haru nodded, slow and solemn.

Why?

Haru knew Makoto wanted him to know _why_ , why he was so intimidated by the body of water that stretched about the horizon, why he still swam anyway. So he explained.

"When we were kids," said Makoto, voice breaking, "the two of us saw all those people wearing the white kimonos and walking in a line right? Do you remember?"

He nodded. He did remember, and he would never forget the sight. He wasn't scared, but it was a strange experience. There were people in those white kimonos walking in front of them, to a place unknown at the time. He remembered their faces, solemn and full of melancholy, young and old. Some people had tears in their eyes while others were just stone-faced. His senses were on edge; he could hear the sounds of their footsteps and canes going _thump_ , _thump_ , _thump_ , loud and clear, and he was aware of Makoto behind him, clinging tightly to his hand and clothes with a grip like an iron claw. Neither of them knew what they were doing, nor did they know where they were going. Haru wasn't scared, only a bit uneasy, but Makoto was obviously terrified. He claimed not to be, but Haru could feel his aura of fear. The look of fear in Makoto's face and the uneasiness in the air that day and the way that a girl from the group turned to look at them burned an eternal scar in Haru's memory.

He went on to explain about making friends with an old fisherman, about the fishing boat that sunk three kilometres from the shore because of a storm, about how Makoto found out the fisherman had died in the tragedy, about how Makoto thought that there was something, there _had_ to be something in the water that desired fresh blood and waited to grab an unsuspecting person in the ocean, because why else would all those people die just three kilometres from the sea? He, Haru, Rin, Nagisa, and everybody else in their swimming club were able to swim three kilometres safely every day. There was something unseen lurking under the water. Even if it was just sleeping, no matter how much he swam, he couldn't run away from it.

He believed that when he swam, he wasn't swimming to swim, he was swimming to _run away_ from something.

That was why he was afraid. Makoto explained all of this with a hint of sorrow in his voice while Haru politely listened with understanding.

Makoto talked about how he was afraid the thing in the water was trying to drag Haru away, into some place where he would never be seen again. He was so, _so_ afraid, afraid of losing his best friend, afraid of the thoughts in his head becoming a reality. He never wanted to lose Haru, especially to the thing that had been haunting his childhood for so long. Makoto had been so overwhelmed by this fear, that he just shook uncontrollably every time it crossed his mind. The fear was eating him slowly on the inside, and Makoto could feel nothing but terror. He could not do anything about it.

Haru was surprised at this, surprised at his response, but he realized it was expected of him.

Then, Makoto transitioned into a rather different topic altogether.

"I'm doing this with my own will. I'm thinking about swimming the medley relay. But I'd like you to do it with me. It's meaningless without you. Haru, please swim with me!

Haru's expression was unwavering, even at the sudden request. They stood, awkwardly, staring at each other. Makoto dismissed it, and he turned to leave. Before he could even take a step down, Haru made his decision. He would do the relay. However, he gave Makoto a rather indecisive answer, only saying, "I'll think about it." Even that answer seemed to suffice, as the sunshine brightness of his smile returned to his face. They bid each other farewell and separated.

It was now dark. Haru almost smiled to himself at that reaction. He was against joining the relay, but if it made Makoto happy, he would do it. And not to mention, it would probably help his fear. Haru knew it. He desperately wanted to do something to help, even if it was something silly like that. He remembered the look on Makoto's face at the mention of water, and how sometimes his eyes flitted to the ocean like it was some sort of monster. Haru didn't like it. He didn't know which annoyed him more; whether it was the fact that Makoto looked at the sea like that or whether it was because Makoto's expression was not like his usual carefree one. Such a kind and strong and big person like him shouldn't have to look that way. No, Makoto especially didn't deserve it, he concluded.

And Haru was going to do something about it.

He turned back to his house, a new resolve in his heart.

  


* * *

  


It started out just like any other normal winter day in their small port town. The weather was crisp, brisk, and chilly, perfect for taking a nice walk. A soothing breeze whistled through the air, agitating fallen leaves and rustling the bare branches of the trees. It brushed against Haru's body, and his skin prickled. It was a nice feeling.

He stood at the top of the stairs under the arch leading to the shrine, the place where he addressed Makoto's phobia to him about a week ago. Haru had just come home from school, and he was waiting for Makoto to come out of his house. Knowing him, his friend would probably be late, most likely due to his siblings clinging tightly onto Makoto, refusing to let him leave.

Haru spared a look at his wristwatch. He had been waiting for five minutes, and they had about two kilometres to jog. The swimming club starts in about an hour, and Haru estimated that they took about forty minutes to travel there, so Makoto needed to hurry up if they actually wanted to arrive on time. Haru was getting impatient. Normally, he would just give up and leave, but he needed to walk with Makoto today. He sighed, feeling hopeless.

The ocean stretched out ahead of him, glistening under the morning sun, waves lulling calmly on the surface. He could see the boats rocking on the docks, and he thought back to the line of people who were mourning for those lost on the sunken fishing boat. Haru shook his head. He must not think that way. Instead, he distracted himself by thinking about how perfect the view of the ocean was from where he was standing, and how Makoto better hurry up before he was to break into his house and give him a piece of his mind.

Fortunately, Makoto came out moments later. He noticed Haru coming down the steps, and he smiled.

"Ah, Haru-chan, you're still here," he declared. "Sorry, Ran wasn't feeling very well, and she wanted me to feed her."

Haru said nothing. He didn't even protest the unwanted "-chan" suffix added to his name. He simply went ahead and led the way, and they picked up the pace when they both stepped onto the street, with Makoto the one closer to the ocean, their usual formation. Haru was a bit slower than Makoto, and Makoto was still a big idiot and used all of his effort while jogging. Even still, for the most part, they were perfectly synchronized, like they were two people operating on the same brain. The wind smacked them in the face, resisting their movements and pushing back at them. Haru handled this the way he normally did with water, just blending in. However, he worried about it being too windy. Just like... 

_That day._

Haru shivered at the thought of it. He wanted this day to have no similarities whatsoever to that day. Unfortunately for him, Makoto noticed his shivers. He stopped and frowned. Haru kept on going, then slowed to a stop after he realized that Makoto was firmly planted to the ground he was standing on.

"What?" Haru's voice was terse and urgent.

"Why are you looking like that? What is with the expression on your face?" inquired Makoto. Haru felt himself get irritated, but calmed himself down by reminding himself that this was just part of Makoto's nature and that he was one step closer to executing his plan.

"Nothing. It's none of your concern." He waved off the questions. He was telling the truth, really.

"But-"

"Stop. There's no reason to worry. Let's just continue."

Haru's voice had his famous hardness in it, and whenever Makoto heard that, he knew to stop talking and pushing him. He looked down and said, defeated, "Okay."

Just as Haru was about to resume their jog, Makoto shouted, " _Wait_."

Haru turned to him, wondering what it was he wanted that time. He must have had some kind of hostile expression on his face, because Makoto recoiled a bit and shifted around on his feet. "Um," he began, gaining a sudden fascination of his feet, "your shoes are untied."

He looked down at his sneakers. They were untied. He almost forgot about that. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief, for he left his shoelaces loosely hanging so they could be easily undone. It was all part of his plan. Bending down, he slowly moved his nimble fingers, gingerly redoing the knots as if they were bombs and that they would explode if handled incorrectly. When he was done, Haru stood up and scrutinized his shoes, as if to admire his hard work. He heard Makoto clear his throat rather impatiently, and he was in no hurry to look up. His expression had this _hurry-up-or-we'll-be-late_ look to it. He found it rather ironic, as he was always the one who was late. He sent a message of his own: _Fine_. Makoto started to run ahead again.

Now was the time. Instead of going back to his position in which he always was when they ran, he quickly cut across to go on Makoto's opposite side, effectively switching sides. He was now the one closer to the ocean, and Makoto was closer to the land.

Haru didn't want to look directly at Makoto, but he could feel his gaze on him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could make out his absolutely _electrified_ expression on his face, and his eyes were widened so that they appeared to be double their normal size. His mouth was hanging open. Haru couldn't even fathom the effect his simple action had on Makoto. Just by switching sides, he acted as if Haru had given him a large sum of Japanese yen or something else unbelievable. That was one of the things that was just _so Makoto_ , and honestly, he couldn't be happier that his friend was at ease from what he had done. He could see the tenseness dissipate from his face and slowly replaced by appreciation and his usual disposition, and that added to Haru's glee. He had finally done something for Makoto.

Haru sneaked a look sideways so he could see his friend's face. Their eyes locked, and he could see the warm, green irises sparkling gratefully. It was a rather intimate bonding moment, where words couldn't describe what was happening. They did, however, have one of their wordless conversations.

_Thank you_ , _Haru-chan_ , they appeared to say. 

Haru could feel his entire face turn warm, and the tips of his ears reddened. He looked away from him. _All I did was switch places_. And that really was all he did.

Haru sped up, with Makoto following closely behind, both heading toward the swimming club with hopes that they wouldn’t be late. Makoto was still smiling contently, and Haru was still elated at what he was able to do. That euphoria was probably what caused Haru to stop right where he was, Makoto curiously following suit, and he faced Makoto, uncharacteristically saying what came to his head.

"I will always protect you, Makoto."

That was the one thing he would always promise, even for years and years to come.

**Author's Note:**

> IT'S LATE AT NIGHT AND I FINALLY FINISHED THIS WHOOP WHOOP. 
> 
> Sorry for the bad ending.
> 
> I wrote this because of the fact that Haru is always on the side nearest to the ocean when he and Makoto are walking with each other. And yes, this is true and canon, and it occurs each time.
> 
> Well that was short and weird...
> 
> Or was that too long? I don't even know anymore.
> 
> Sorry for the really bad writing; This honestly started as like a few lines of dialogue, but then I elaborated a bit more and some things may have been bad writing and didn't make sense. I apologize for that.
> 
> I would put some shameless self-advertisement here, but I'm too lazy for that (but you can go to my profile for that ;)).
> 
> I hope you had fun reading that short little thing. It was fun to write, but painful to read to myself. Again, this is my first completed fanfiction, so comments, feedback, and **constructive** criticism are appreciated.
> 
> Have a nice day! ^_^


End file.
